Concern grows in the Dutch team after cancellation of training impacts Memphis Depay’s recovery
The Netherlands team chose to skip training scheduled for Tuesday morning in Kansas City. Coach Ronald Koeman gave the entire squad time off, including players in the recovery phase, such as Justin Kluivert and Memphis Depay. The decision, however, was criticized by physiologist Raymond Verheijen, who classified it as a “wasted day” in the athletes’ rehabilitation process.
“On the eve of the match, the training intensity was lower, and on the day of the match, even more reduced. On Monday, the reserves participated in brief recovery games, and Tuesday was a complete day off. Such a scenario is not favorable, especially for athletes who have had little participation on the field in recent months or who are returning from injuries. My expectation is that Justin and Memphis will have received a different treatment”, declared Verheijen in an interview with the Dutch newspaper “Telegraf”.
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The importance of recovering key players in the group stage
“The initial stage of the tournament is crucial for athletes with physical limitations to reach 100% of their condition, considering the six-day interval between matches. In the decisive stages, the rest time is significantly shorter. Depay and Kluivert have skills that make them essential for the team. It is essential, therefore, that they develop the necessary resistance, something that could be done taking advantage of the six-day period between matches”, added the expert.
The Dutch team is part of Group F of the World Cup, alongside Japan, Sweden and Tunisia. This group is particularly relevant for the Brazilian public, as its brackets overlap in the knockout stage with that of Brazil. This means that the Netherlands could be the Brazilian team’s first opponent in the knockout stage of the tournament, making the physical condition of its players an extra point of attention for the next clashes.
Calendar of Holland’s next World Cup commitments
The Netherlands’ World Cup schedule looks like this:
- First match: Netherlands 2 x 2 Japan, held on June 14, in the city of Dallas.
- Second game: Netherlands x Sweden, scheduled for June 20, at 2 pm (local time), in Houston.
- Third and final clash of the group stage: Tunisia x Netherlands, scheduled for June 25th, at 8pm (local time), in Kansas City.
